


Cold Front

by DistantStorm



Series: Revenant [3]
Category: Star Wars: Thrawn Series - Timothy Zahn (2017)
Genre: M/M, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-23
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-14 01:21:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29660277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DistantStorm/pseuds/DistantStorm
Summary: Thrawn always asks too much of him.
Relationships: Thrawn | Mitth'raw'nuruodo/Eli Vanto
Series: Revenant [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2173008
Comments: 2
Kudos: 34





	Cold Front

Thrawn always asks too much of him.

Actually, Eli thinks, that isn't quite true. Usually Thrawn doesn't ask. Usually he does what he wants and plots out space for Eli's reaction after the plan is in motion.

It doesn't make it any less true.

There is a lot to think about. Thrawn asks him, and Eli knows he'll do it the moment Thrawn says the words. His expression is different. He sits in his chair as regal as ever, but there is a wariness in his eyes.

"Do you trust me?" Thrawn had asked him.

"Yes," Eli had answered immediately, because for as much as the man infuriated him, Eli knew he had been lucky to be pulled into Thrawn's orbit all those years ago. That he would follow Thrawn's lead of his own free will.

And then, Thrawn had asked the real question.

Looking back at it, Eli isn't really sure what Thrawn was feeling. He assumes it's some measure of grief, but he can't tell if it's for what he's already lost or what he stands to lose. He has to assume it's the former. He's needed Thrawn a lot more than Thrawn has ever needed him.

Thrawn had insisted that Eli take time to consider. Time away from Thrawn's influence.

Thrawn means to give him at least three days. But Eli pushes back, using the power of scheduling to his advantage.

He's surprised to see Eli so soon, especially when he was supposed to have a briefing with Faro, but Eli's already confirmed that things are set for their Lothal initiative. Thrawn can double and triple check. It will still be the same come morning, which is more convenient for Faro, anyway. 

"I told you to give yourself time," Thrawn admonishes.

"Usually you tell me what I'm doing right before I have no choice in the matter," Eli says, summarizing his thoughts. "You're asking a lot of me," He continues. "But I realize there isn't anyone else."

"You would be of great use to the Chiss," He says instead of acknowledging that.

Eli won't let him out of it. "More than Nightswan?" He asks.

Neither of them have said the man's name since his death. Thrawn's chuckle, a little dark, a little amused, surprises him. "How did you know?"

Eli shrugs. "You met with him. Yularen told me. And while the stories I know aren't all true," He chews his cheek a second, but decides to go for it. "I've known you a long time. I haven't forgotten how you talked about your people."

"Indeed," Thrawn agrees, rueful. "You have always been observant."

-/

Thrawn is not surprised by Vanto's decision. He's not surprised by the questions he is asked, or Vanto's mixed emotions regarding his answers. Vanto is not thrown by how little Thrawn has told him. He's expecting to go in blind, Thrawn has prepared him for that. 

It leaves a bitter taste in his mouth, but Thrawn supposes it's all for the best.

-/

When Eli boards the shuttle, there is a datapad left for him. He had hoped to see Thrawn, but Thrawn had left, called back to Coruscant days earlier. They had not said goodbyes, nor had Eli ever received a briefing.

Eli is on his own. The Empire is behind him. His future rests with the Chiss.

-/

Vanto's Cheunh is not… horrible, exactly, though it requires improvement. He's figured out how to hold himself, how to react, how to value and protect Chiss secrets. He's earned some modicum of Admiral Ar'alani's respect.

But Ar'alani does not understand Vanto. Chiss are self important with regards to their own race. It is therefore mutually beneficial when he reclaims his monopoly on Vanto's time.

Ar'alani did not understand Thrawn, once. But Ar'alani is more understanding than a great many. She will learn.

Eli Vanto will not replace him. It is an unequal exchange, a trade off for expertise and deficits in different areas. But Eli will grow. He, like Ar'alani, is a compelling leader with the right kind of ethos. 

Even if Thrawn never returns to the Ascendancy, he can both live and die with that trade. 

**Author's Note:**

> Multichapter fic to follow.


End file.
